A/N: Okay. I have no (good) excuse for the delay in updates. Like many other writers, school attacked, and then writers' block did. A very good one two punch, maybe, but it spells disaster for fanfics. Fortunately, I got a chance to plan out and plot where this is going, so I actually know what I'm doing with this story now, and hopefully updates will be a bit more frequent. Sporadic they will stay, but at least it'll be a little more often. -kicks writers block-

Warnings and disclaimer in the first chapter. And if Konoha's search team misses a ten kilometer explosion, there'll be roars of frustration around the world.

This chapter focuses a bit more on some of the team, and though mentioned, Sasuke makes no appearance. Yet. My apologies for a rather low quality chapter.

Now, on with the fic.

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Just for Kicks

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Chapter Two: Lunchtime isn’t Fun Time

“That asshole!” Naruto hissed, slamming his lunch tray down next to Sakura’s. The pink-haired girl scowled as soup sloshed like a tidal wave out of the bowl, splashing onto her bento box.

“Watch it, Naruto!”

“What’s wrong, Naruto? You’re not normally the easiest guy to piss off –“ Ino started, absently sucking on some Pocky.

“Oi, Naruto! Did you see the new pretty boy –“ Abruptly cutting off Ino, Inuzuka Kiba suddenly stopped, dodging a wildly thrown punch from the blonde. The tanned boy with short brown hair ducked beneath another blow, hurriedly holding his arms closer to his abdomen as though wounded. “Not the stomach! Whatever you do, NOT THE STOMACH!”

“Don’t – mention – that – bastard – to – ME!” Naruto’s red face and flaming sky blue eyes sent Kiba scurrying under the table for cover. Huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf of legend, Naruto leaned on the table, palms sticky with sweat as claw-like fingers began to gouge holes in the top of the table.

“ – I stand corrected,” Ino groaned. Sakura closed her eyes, exasperated, and nodded in agreement. Suddenly recalling that a boy was under the table, Ino hurriedly tugged on the end of her black and red skirt of her uniform, poking Sakura to remind her. Poking her blond head of hair under the table, she indignantly warned the bewildered dog lover, “Don’t you dare take a peek, do you hear me?!”

“It’s not like you’d have much of a good view anyways, ne, Noi-chan?”

Ino exploded at the sound of her childhood pet name.

“Ero-baka! An idiot and a pervert! How dare you?! I don’t know how Hana can stand you, honestly! I should –“

“Anou, Kiba-kun,” Sakura began, cocking her head in curiosity. “You normally wouldn’t miss a chance to have an all-out brawl with Naruto. Why’d you tell him ‘not the stomach’?”

Grinning sheepishly, Kiba scratched the back of his head.

“Well… come closer. I don’t want to get the five of us in trouble.”

“The five of us?” Sakura, Naruto, and Ino, in spite of her fury, leaned in. “There’s only four people here – oh!”

Quickly putting a finger on Sakura’s lips to stop the shocked cry, Kiba had unzipped the oddly baggy uniform jacket halfway down. And sticking out of the jacket was the snout of a long-haired, white dog with chocolate ears.

“Oi, Kiba, are you nuts?!” Smiling at the sight of the dog, Naruto carefully reached a hand under to pet the dog. “Long time no see, Akamaru!”

Flashing them a bright doggy-grin, Akamaru whined happily as he butted his fluffy head into Naruto’s hand.

“Aw, kawaii!” Ino and Sakura squealed at the same time. Kiba’s eyes looked around cautiously.

“Keep it down, you two, I really don’t want to get anyone in trouble here,” he muttered.

“What do you guys think you’re doing?” came a deep, quiet voice.

Kiba squawked and scrambled to his feet, forgetting that he was under a table and effectively colliding with it in an impressive crash. “Shino! Give me some warning before you do that, would you? Damn, last time you tried that I completely knocked Hinata’s bookshelf clear off its wall frame…”

Aburame Shino raised an eyebrow, piercing the Inuzuka from where he stood next to Naruto, nodding in greeting to the others. “Naruto-san, Ino-san, Sakura-san. And unless I’m mistaken, Kiba-kun, isn’t that when I walked in on you sneaking into one of the Hyuuga’s rooms, trying to steal Hinata’s lingerie?”

“What?!” Kiba squawked yet again as the looming figure of Hayabusa Tenten appeared up from behind Shino. “Did I just hear that you were trying to steal Hinata-chan’s panties?”

“Anou – anou – hold on a second, please, Tenten-sempai!” Diving under the table yet again, Kiba cowered below his alternatively amused and enraged audience.

Snarling, the sixteen year old upperclassmen discreetly looked around for lunchtime supervisors before diving under the table with a mighty war cry.

“You never, ever try something like that with Hinata-chan! Do you hear me? She’s like my sister!”

Loud shrieks and indignant shouts were heard under the table as Tenten started to maul her teammate.

“A – anou, Tenten-sempai is a lot more fiery than she usually is, ne?” Naruto stammered, laughing nervously and wincing when Kiba produced another earsplitting howl. A trickle of sweat slid slowly down his temple. “She’s normally pretty level-headed…”

Sakura seemed unsurprised, even encouraging Tenten with approving looks and furious glares sent Kiba’s way. “When it comes to the Hyuugas, Tenten-sempai does get rather protective. And besides, he tried to get Hinata’s lingerie.”

Naruto winced. Talk about a no-mercy policy for perverts…

“You know, if I were you, I’d be a lot more worried about the teacher headed our way, behind us,” Shino quietly admonished.

Blinking in shock, Naruto squeaked out, “Who is it? We can’t afford to get into trouble today!”

Shino shrugged. “It shouldn’t be much of a problem. It’s only Hokage-sama.”

At that, every single one of them froze, the ominous words echoing in the silence.

“…only Hokage-sama…only Hokage-sama…only Hokage-sama…”

“Shit!"

TBC

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A/N: I made Tenten's last name Hayabusa because it means peregrine falcon in Japanese, a bird of prey that attacks quickly and lethally, which reminded me of Tenten and her skill with weapons.

Well, that's that. Reviews?